Octopi’s business has been on a meteoric rise that has evolved with the beverage industry and has continued to receive investment from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. At its founding, Octopi was a staff of six people. It has ballooned to more than 200 employees and has been authorized by the WEDC to receive up to $800,000 in state income tax credits for its latest project. The infusion comes after $300,000 in tax credits in 2017 and another $225,000 in 2019. Octopi now uses 380,000 square feet of production, office and warehouse space in Waunakee and has a 187,000-square-foot warehouse in nearby Windsor.
“This expansion is really incredible,” said Sam Rikkers, the WEDC’s deputy secretary and chief operating officer. “What (Showaki) has found is that there’s a whole market for co-packaging. So that type of creativity and innovation has really helped this place grow.”
[Adapted from: Octopi expansion in Waunakee also provides road map for clean energy September 29, 2022 Wisconsin State Journal]